


Can't Run Forever

by just_queer_me



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Coming Out, Dorks in Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Excessive Drinking, F/F, Family Fluff, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Forgiveness, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Gay Character, Happy Ending, High School, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, I Don't Even Know, I'm Bad At Tagging, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Suicide, LGBTQ Character, Les Misérables References, Lesbian Character, Light Angst, Love Confessions, My First AO3 Post, My first fic, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Romance, Self-Acceptance, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Understanding, Useless Lesbians, supportive friends, supportive parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-01-15 04:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18491344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_queer_me/pseuds/just_queer_me
Summary: Ivy ran away. And came back three years later.How the people she left behind will react now that she is back? Why did she leave? Will she make things right this time?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this is my first fic... like ever. So please be gentle. Suggestions and critics are welcome. English is not my first language, so be understanding, and you can correct me if you want to.  
> I'm not a writer like the rest of the people here. I just had an idea and told my friend, that is a really good [writer](https://literocio-poetc.tumblr.com/) and he said that I should try writing a story for this scene that came to me, so here I am. But, I needed to give the characters some backstory, and that's what the first chapters are for.  
> By now you must have realized that I have no idea what I'm doing, and I'm sorry for that. I'll stop rambling. Hope you guys like the story. You can find me on [Tumblr](https://just-queer-me.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading.

** Chapter 01 **

 

 _The first day of senior year. I can’t believe that I’m going back to that school._ Ivy thought while she was walking down the stairs.

“Good morning sweetheart! Are you excited? ” Her father asked. Noah was the calculus teacher of the very same school his daughter was going to.

“Honey, just leave her alone. She doesn’t need to get more anxious.” Her mother said. Haylee was a famous psychologist who had written 3 well-known books. And she knew, at least in part, why her daughter left this school years ago.

Three years earlier, Haylee was invited to teach at a university in the United States, and Ivy had decided to go with her mother. Go to another school in another country.

“It’s okay mom... Yeah, dad, I’m excited. It’s good to be back.” She answered as she sat at the table to have breakfast with her parents.

They were amazing, always so supportive and fond. When she said that she wanted to go with her mother instead of staying with her father, they didn’t push her. They knew something was going on with their kid, but they never judged her, on the contrary, they stood by her side, comforting, listening, and trying their best to help her.

“Do you want a ride? ” Noah asked whilst sipping his coffee.

“Arrive at school, on her first day of senior year, in her daddy’s car, who happens to be the calculus teacher, are you crazy? Don’t you want our daughter to have a social life?” Haylee stepped in.

“I'm ok dad, but thank you.” Ivy said chuckling. “And don’t worry mom. It’s not like I want to be the most popular girl in school.”

“I know baby, but everybody needs friends. Just like the ones you had in New Paltz…” Haylee tried.

After breakfast, Ivy took her things, said goodbye to her parents, put her headphones and went to school, thinking about everything that could happen.

 

* * *

  

Laura was finishing her breakfast when she heard a loud noise coming from upstairs. A few minutes later her father, Christopher, came stumbling on the stairs. “I'm awake! Just give me a minute and I'll drive you to school.”

“Dad, have you been drinking again? ” Laura asked, although she already knew the answer.

“What?! I just had a few drinks with some friends yesterday. Tommy was promoted, we were celebrating. Not that it's any of your business.”

“Are you going to work like this? ” She couldn’t believe it. Her father’s drinking problem was getting worse each day.

He wasn’t always like this though. When she was a kid, he was so happy, so attentive to her and her mother. But then something happened. Her uncle, her dad’s only brother, died. Then, the fights between her parents became frequent, and her dad began drinking.

Her mother left them after a while, they never heard from her again. But Laura was okay with that. It’s not like she didn’t love her mother. She was just used to her mom never being present. Laura’s mother was always so busy, worried about her job. She never went to any of Laura’s school presentations. On holidays, she wasn’t there even though she was.

“What now? I am your father! Don’t you dare to talk to me like that! ”

“You know what? Never mind. I’ll walk to school.” She grabbed her backpack and walked toward the door.

“Yeah, you better! ‘Cause you don’t deserve that ride anymore! ” He yelled as she shut the front door.

 

* * *

  

 _Come on, you can do this! It’s not like they will remember you, or the freak they thought you were three years ago._ Ivy said to herself. She wasn’t excited like she told her father, she was... nervous.

While she was having an internal battle, two girls were passing by her side. One of them looked at her. “Vy? Is that you? OH MY GOD! ”

“Hey Elise.” Ivy said when she recognized the girl and gave her a weak smile. “Long time no see.”

“Yeah, you kinda abandoned me. I’ve heard you went to the US with your mom.” Elise said. Although she was happy to see her friend, she was still hurt that she left without saying goodbye.

“Sorry about that. I, uh, I just wanted to see new places and-”

“Just cut the crap. You can tell that to those who don't know you. We were best friends! Well, until you started talking to-”

“Okay, maybe we should go inside and forget about the past.” Ivy interrupted her friend.

At this, the other girl that was with Elise stepped into the conversation. “Yeah, don’t wanna be late for our first day… And, uh, I’m Charlie.”

“Oh, yeah… Vy, this is my girlfriend.” Elise said, without knowing how her friend would react.

Ivy choked with surprise by the statement. How could she have missed this?

“Hey, are you okay there, buddy? ” Charlie asked, concerned with her girlfriend’s friend.

“Uh… Yeah. Everything is fine. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ivy.”

While the two of them were shaking hands, Elise came in and hugged them both. “It’s so good to see you guys getting along. This senior year is going to be awesome! ” They all started laughing at this.

 _Maybe everything is going to be fine._ Ivy thought to herself.

 

* * *

  

The walk to school helped her to calm down. She came halfway trying to figure out how to help her father.

“Hey Laura” A blond guy said smiling.

Elliot was the typical popular boy: strong, handsome and the best player in the team. Most of the girls wanted to be with him, but Laura didn't. Everybody else thought that they made a cute couple. After all, she was the head cheerleader. That's how the story usually goes, right?

And that was the worst part of her dad’s drinking problem, she had to be nice to Elliot. He was the son of her father’s boss. She knew he liked her, and she also knew that her father needed that job. So she hung out with him. It wasn't that bad until he started trying to kiss her.

Laura wasn’t ready for that step yet. Not with him, not with anyone. Well… actually, there was someone, but it was years ago and they never saw each other again after that night. _No, stop it! You’re not going to do this again. It has been 3 years. It’s not like… this person still thinks about you._

“Are you there?” Elliot tried to catch the girl’s attention.

“Uh, yeah… Hi.” Laura said, looking for any excuse to leave this situation. She wasn’t in the mood for this right now. “I just need... to go to the bathroom before the class starts.”

“Oh, ok. See you at lunch then.” As soon as he said that, he kissed her cheek and went to talk to his friends, who were cheering at Elliot and Laura’s interaction.

 _What a great way to start the day._ She thought.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://just-queer-me.tumblr.com/).


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter 02 **

 

It was lunchtime. Ivy was talking to Elise, Charlie, and three other guys. She’d told them that she used to play flag football at her former school, and they were trying to convince her to join their team.

Ivy really was paying attention to the conversation. At least until she saw what she was afraid of since she came back to Canada.

 _Guess she’s still the most popular girl in school. Beautiful, smart… And now she is a cheerleader. Can’t say I’m surprised._ Ivy thought while she looked at the other girl.

“Earth calling Ivy Reed.” Elise said, snapping her fingers in front of her friend’s face.

“Uh… Sorry, I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“So, are you really Mr. Reed's daughter? ” One of the guys asked.

“Yeah…” She didn’t know where this was going.

“Cool! ” He said smiling.

“Really? ” She said suspiciously.

“Sure! He is nice. He didn't start acting weird when we came out.” He made a gesture between him and the other boy.

“He even helped us at the beginning. He’s, like, the best teacher ever! Don’t you think so, Bryan? ”

“Totally! Kevin and I just got calculus because of him.” At this Bryan hugged his boyfriend.

“Yeah, dad is amazing. Mom is too.” She said more confidently.

“How did they react when you told them? ” Bryan was curious. All of them were, but they didn’t have the courage to ask.

“Wait, what?! ” Ivy wasn’t expecting that kind of question.

“Oh, come on! Give her a break.” Elise said, trying to help her friend.

“Whatever.” Bryan accepted his defeat.

 “So… are you going to join us? I mean on the flag football team, not the gay squad… I’m not even gay! ” The third boy spoke for the first time.

“Yeah, Lewis here is our straight friend.” Charlie said laughing and patting the boy’s back.

“Why not? It will be nice.”

  

* * *

  

Here she was, walking toward Elliot and his friends. What she really wanted was to go home and forget about everything that happened today. But then Laura saw someone she thought she would never see again.

She was a little different though. Her hair was short now, and she was not wearing the same kind of clothes she used to. _She is… bold._ Laura had to admit it. _Wait, not again! Don’t you dare to think of her, even more like that._ She was so deep in her thoughts, that she didn’t hear Elliot calling her name. She just walked past him, toward the bathroom.

“God, this isn’t happening. It can’t be…” Laura said as she washed her face. Now she was looking at herself in the mirror. What was she going to do? She didn’t even know what she was feeling.

“Are you okay? ” With that Laura was brought back to reality. She looked at the person who spoke to her. _Damn._

“Uh, yeah… I just didn’t have a good night of sleep.”

“Guess there are a lot of people with sleeping problems today…”

“What do you mean? ”

“Oh, Vy told me the same thing earlier.”

“Vy? ” Laura tried to pretend she didn’t know who they were talking about.

“Yeah… Ivy. She’s back. Don’t you remember her? You guys became good friends before she left.” Elise said, not buying the other girl’s act.

“Mmm, that name sounds familiar…" She continued to pretend. But Laura remembered. Actually, she was still hurt. _Why did Ivy run that night? Why did she leave without saying a word? Why did she stop answering my texts and emails?_ She couldn’t shake those thoughts away. “Anyway, I'm fine now. Gonna head out for class. Bye! ”

“Bye." Elise was sure that something had happened between Ivy and Laura, and she was going to find out what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://just-queer-me.tumblr.com/).


	3. Chapter 3

** Chapter 03 **

 

“Why is Elise taking so long in that bathroom? You guys didn’t even go together.” Bryan teased his friend.

“HA-HA! Very funny…” Charlie said rolling her eyes.

“What class do you guys have now?" Ivy asked. Until now she had had classes with at least one of them.

“Calculus! ” Kevin said excitedly. “Guess we are all going to see your dad.”

“Well… actually, I have A.P. English Literature now.” Ivy was a bit disappointed that none of her friends had this class with her.

“Hey, we better get going. I don’t want Ivy’s father to think that we are a bad influence on her.” Elise said as she walked toward the group.

“Yeah… but Ivy isn’t coming with us, she has another class.” Lewis broke the news to his friend.

“Oh… so, see you later?”

“Yep.”

 

* * *

 

 

When Ivy arrived in the classroom, Mrs. Donovan, the teacher, was already there.

 “You must be… Ivy Reed, right?” The older woman said.

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Hope you live up to your father’s compliments. You can sit next to Miss Wright.” Mrs. Donovan spoke with a small smile on her lips.

Ivy just nodded. She couldn’t say a word, even if she wanted to. It was obvious that she and Laura could end up in some class together. However, she didn’t imagine that she would have to sit by the other girl's side.

“Okay everybody, the person who is sitting with you, will be your partner for every activity in this class.”

Both Ivy and Laura’s eyes went wide. They didn’t see that coming.

Laura thought that she would be able to ignore Ivy for the rest of the year. But now they would have to work together. _This day keeps getting better and better._

Ivy got a little anxious about what the teacher had said. _Maybe we can be friends again… maybe I can make things right this time._ She began to think. _Oh, come on, who are you trying to trick? She probably hates you. You should try to get out of this before it gets worse._ She was panicking, bad thoughts were flooding her mind.

“Mrs. Donovan?” Ivy said with her hand raised.

“Yes, Miss Reed.”

“Is there a chance that I can get another partner?” Her voice was full of uncertainty.

“No, Miss Reed. And why would you want that? From what I know, Miss Wright is an excellent student.”

Ivy didn’t answer, she just gave the teacher a weak smile. Then she glanced over at Laura. _Fuck._ She didn’t think about how it would make the other girl feel. _Congratulations! You screwed up, like always._

Laura couldn't believe it. Why was Ivy trying to get away from her again? How could she do it in front of everybody? _You’re not going to cry because of this… because of her. Not again._ She tried her best to keep a neutral face. But when their eyes met, she flinched, even though it was only for a few seconds.

As the class went by, Mrs. Donovan told her students about the project she wanted them to do. Ivy took a deep breath, they needed to talk about the task they had to do together. As soon as she turned to face Laura, the other girl started talking without looking at her.

“I think we should pick Les Misérables for this assignment. It’s a classic, and it’s about how people can’t run forever.”

Ivy could feel the bitterness in Laura’s voice. She knew she deserved that, but if they were going to be partners for the rest of the year, they had to overcome what had happened.

“Look, I know I messed up, but-” Ivy tried,  just to be cut off by the other girl.

“I really think that we should only talk about our chore. And after class… you can go back to pretending you don’t know me as you did in the last three years.” Laura had a hard look on her face.

Ivy was taken aback. She didn’t think Laura would bring that up like this. _What were you expecting, you idiot? You simply vanished, you didn’t even try to talk to her and explain why. Of course she’s hurt._

“Laura, I… I don’t think that this is the best place or time for us to talk about it, but I want you to know that I’m really sorry.”

“Yeah, whatever… Let’s do what we gotta do for this class before you run again and leave me to do this all by myself.”

Ivy didn’t know what else she could say, so she sank back in her chair and took a final breath. _Well, shit… This is going to be harder than I thought._

 

* * *

 

 

After the disaster in her English class, Ivy had two more periods. The first one she had with Lewis and Charlie. The other was calculus with her father. She did her best to look fine, the last thing she wanted was for them to notice how miserable she was feeling.

When her last class was over, she met her friends outside the school. Unlike the others, Elise noticed that something was wrong with Ivy. And she really wanted to help her, but she needed to get the girl alone for that.

“Did you sign up for the test to join the team?” Kevin asked.

“Yes.”

“Wow, super talkative huh?” Bryan said laughing.

“I’m tired, I-”

“You just didn’t sleep well last night. Yeah, you told us that already. You should go home and rest. We all should.”  Elise said firmly, leaving no room for arguments.

“Okay, mom.” Bryan said sarcastically. But as soon as he said it, Elise gave him a deadly look that made him put his hands up in surrender.

“I have to go meet my brother right now, so I won’t be able to walk you home.” Charlie said with apologetic eyes.

“That’s alright sweety, I’ll go home with Ivy, we live close to each other.” Elise turned to her friend with eyes that said ‘ain’t that right?’.

That look made Ivy give her friend a real smile. “Yeah, no problem. We need to catch up anyway.” The two girls smiled even more at this.

They all said their goodbyes and went home. Ivy and Elise talked about how Elise and Charlie met, and how they started dating. They also talked about Ivy’s experience in the US. Eventually, they fell into a comfortable silence. Until Elise couldn’t hold her curiosity and concern for her friend anymore.

“So… what happened? Why are you faking all this… tiredness? And don’t tell me that you didn’t have enough sleep. We both know that’s bullshit.” Saying this, Elise gave Ivy a knowing look.

Ivy released a breath that she didn’t even know she was holding. “I can’t lie to my best friend, can I?” She said with a faint smile. “It’s… Laura, we-”

“I KNEW IT!” The other girl said, fist-pumping the air. “I knew that something happened between you two.”

“Yes and no.” Ivy got silent for a couple of seconds, trying to figure a way to tell everything to her friend without crying on the process. “Well, it all started when…”

 

* * *

 

 

By the time they arrived at Elise’s house, Ivy had already told her friend everything, including the events of the English class.

“Okay… You absolutely messed up.” Elise said laughing nervously. “Dude, you keep making things worse. And here I thought that I was complicated.”

“Jeez…Thank you. You’re without a doubt being a good help.”

“Oh, come on! You know I’m right, plus I’m still here after everything.”

“And I’m genuinely thankful for that. It’s just… I don’t know what to do.”

“Clearly…” Elise said, and Ivy gave her a look. “Oops, sorry, go on.” The girl gestured for her friend to continue.

“I never wanted to hurt her. I’m a complete idiot.” Ivy started pacing around, shaking her hands in frustration. “I want… I… I need to make things right. But how?”

“Well, I can help you with that… Still, it’s not going to be easy.”

“You’re the best, you know?” Ivy said pushing her friend’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I do.” Elise said with a smug smile on her face, making the other girl laugh.

“Where do I start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://just-queer-me.tumblr.com/).


	4. Chapter 4

** Chapter 04 **

 

Laura was on her way out of the school when she heard someone calling her name. But she wasn’t on the mood for any kind of interaction, so she just kept walking. Then she felt her arm being pulled.

“Hey, what’s up? You’ve been ignoring me all day.” Elliot said while he held the girl close to him.

“Not now, Elliot. I just want to go home.” Laura said with a hint of impatience in her voice.

“Is that because of what happened in your English class?”

“What?”

“One of the other cheerleaders told me that freak didn’t want to be your partner for the project. She’s just a bitch and a butch… Did you see the way she dresses? She came back weirder than before. You should stay away from her, or people will think that you are a dyke too. And we both know that you are not disgusting like those… gay people.”

Laura opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to take in all that Elliot had said. She was in shock. Not because he knew about her and Ivy… misunderstanding. She’s one of the most popular girls in high school, it was obvious that people would talk about her. What she didn’t get was how there could exist people so small-minded.

“Look, I had an awful day. And you aren’t helping me with this conversation.”

“About the weirdo? Why do you even care-”

“NO! I’m not talking about Ivy. She’s got a name, you know?” Laura's voice was rising with anger. “I’m talking about how can you be this insufferable? Why do you need to undervalue people for… nothing?”

“Nothing? They are sick!”

“Nope. They are completely normal, just the way they are. And if you think this way, please, don’t talk to me anymore.” Laura tried to leave, but Elliot was still holding her arm.

“You really shouldn’t talk to me like that. My father probably wouldn’t like to know that the daughter of one of his employees is mistreating his only and beloved son.”

“Let me go, Elliot!”

But he didn’t. On the contrary, his grip on her arm only tightened. He had a predatory smile on his face like he was enjoying the look of terror Laura had in her eyes. Soon enough someone came through the hall. _Mr. Reed, thank God!_

“Is everything ok Laura?” The calculus teacher said while looking at the hand grabbing her.

“Yeah, it’s just a boyfriend and girlfriend discussion,” Elliot said loosening his fingers around Laura’s arm.

“I’m not your girlfriend Elliot.” She said backing away from the boy. She turned to the teacher and gave him a smile and a wave. “Thank you, Mr. Reed. See you tomorrow!”

He nodded and smiled fondly at her. After that, he faced Elliot with a warning look.

“Hope that doesn’t happen again, Mr. Shawn. You wouldn’t want me to call your father, would you?”

Elliot simply shook his head no.

“I thought so.” And with that, he walked away.

 

* * *

 

 

  After her talk with Elise, Ivy went home a little more confident and a little less worried.

“Well, by that smile on your face, I’ll guess that everything was great on your first day.” Haylee said when her daughter entered the house.

“Not exactly, but I think that tomorrow will be better. Sorry, I’m late… I lost track of time while talking to Elise.”

“Oh, so you girls are still besties?”

“Yeah, mom. And we had a lot of catching up to do.” The girl said chuckling.

“That’s great sweetie!” Her mother had a strange look, like she wanted to say something, but didn’t want to cross any boundaries. So Ivy gestured for her to go on.

“Did you… Did you meet other people that you studied with before?”

Ivy knew about who her mother was talking about. She didn’t want to talk about it, but Haylee helped her so much with what had happened. And despite that she had already talked to someone about this, it wouldn’t hurt to have this conversation with her mom.

“Yes, I did. But it didn’t go smoothly though… I kinda messed up.” She released a breath that she didn’t even notice that she was holding.

“Oh honey, I’m sure you two will work it out in no time.” Haylee hugged Ivy, and the girl started crying. “Everything will be fine, baby,”

She sniffed and then let her mother go. “You’re right mom. Elise told me the same thing.” A small smile was forming on her face.

“So you told Elise about Laura?”

“Yeah… Well, actually she realized it by herself that something between us was… off. Plus, she is my best friend, I should never have hidden this from her. I don’t know what I was afraid of… Ugh, I was so stupid!” She put her hands on her face on a sign of frustration.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself darling. What matters is that you two are friends again. And I’m sure that it will happen to you and Laura soon enough.”

“Laura? Do you girls already know what took place with her today? Wow, the word really spread fast in high school.” Ivy’s dad said as he closed the front door behind him.

At this, both of them frowned and looked at Noah, waiting for him to explain what he had just said.

“Oh… You didn’t. Okay. Uh, I was walking down the hall when I heard some altered voices. I went to check it, and then I found Elliot holding Laura’s arm forcefully.”

“And what did you do?” Haylee asked with wide eyes.

“I stepped in, of course, and gave him a warning. Laura didn’t complain about anything, but as soon as he let go of her arm, she left. He even told me that it was just a boyfriend and girlfriend discussion.” Her father said quoting what the boy had told him at the time. “To me… it didn’t look like that though.”

Ivy got so angry with what her dad just said. First of all, how dare Elliot treat Laura like that. Secondly… _Boyfriend? How could she have something with that shithead? No, she wouldn’t… right?_

 

* * *

 

 

Laura had finally arrived home. She didn’t expect her day to be like this at all. Her dad wasn’t home yet, so she just took something from the fridge and went to her bedroom. Her plan was to eat a little and go through everything she had had that day on her classes and then rest.

She was almost done, the only thing left to do was… A.P. English Literature. _Great._ She picked up her copy of Les Misérables and started reading it all over again. She loved that book, she cried every damn time. But this time it wasn’t just because of the story, it was because Jean Valjean reminded her of Ivy. _Maybe, like him,  she had a good reason for running away…  She even said that she was sorry. That’s a good start, isn’t it?_

The sound of the front door slamming brought Laura out of her thoughts. A while later she heard footsteps stumbling on the stairs and then a knock on her bedroom door. She sighed before she opening it.

“Hey! How was school today?” Her father said awkwardly.

“Normal.”

Christopher nodded while he stood there rocking back on his heels.

“So… Today is football night, and some friends are coming over.”

“You are going to drink… again. Dad, you should quit this alcohol poisoning thing, it’s not good for you and-”

“And I’m a grown-up man. I can take care of myself. You’re exaggerating, I don’t have a drinking problem like you’re always implying… I just like to have fun, and drink a little with my friends.”

“Except that it’s not a little, and you do it when you’re alone too.”

“Look, I was trying to be nice, but you make it impossible. Just stay in your room the entire night. I don’t want you to go downstairs and start this shit all over again in front of everybody.” Christopher's voice was full of annoyance.

“You mean I’m grounded?” Laura said rolling her eyes.

“You can take it like this if you want.”

When her father went to the kitchen to prepare everything before his friends arrived, Laura closed the door and laid down on her bed. _Grounded… Un-freaking-believable._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://just-queer-me.tumblr.com/).


	5. Chapter 5

** Chapter 05 **

“Laura!” Ivy called out, but the other girl didn’t seem to listen. “Hey, Laura, wait!” She said again as she stepped in front of her.

“What?!” Laura frowned and took off her headphones.

“Uh… Hey.” Ivy said rubbing the back of her neck. “I just-” And then she noticed the girl’s eyes, they were… puffy? _Has she been crying?_ “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything is just peachy!” Laura gave her a fake smile, hoping that this would make Ivy leave that alone, leave her alone. She wasn’t feeling good with everything that had happened two days ago: the English class, her encounter with Elliot… and her argument with her father.

“Are you sure? You don’t look fine”

“Of course I’m sure.” Laura snapped back.

“Okay… If you say so. But if you need someone to talk to… I’m here for you. And before you tell me that I left for three years, listen to what I have to say first. Please?” Ivy gave her best pleading eyes.

Laura just nodded and waited for her to continue. She wanted to know why Ivy slipped away. And she also wanted to have their friendship back. They had become friends so fast, it was so easy to be around Ivy. She had to admit that she missed it. Even more now that her dad’s drinking problem was getting worse.

“I’m sorry. I really am. I shouldn’t have left without talking to you… In fact, I shouldn’t have left in the first place... I messed up. But I want to make things right. I know that I won’t win your trust back in a day time… Still, I want you to give me a chance to prove to you that we can be friends again, that we can be around each other without all this…” Ivy made some gestures with her hands trying to explain what she wanted to say. Despite her best efforts, Laura just looked to her with a raised eyebrow and a small smile forming on her lips.

“Oh God! I’m just making a fool of myself, aren’t I?” Ivy said chuckling.

“Yeah, just a little.” Laura couldn’t help laughing as well.

“It’s good to see you smiling again” She couldn’t stop the blushing rising from her neck. “So… I had this speech all prepared, but I’m terrible at this. I’m sorry.”

When Laura opened her mouth to answer, Elliot came in and hugged her from behind.

“Hey, babe. Is this weirdo bothering you? These people just don’t know their place.” He placed a kiss on her cheek and then looked at Ivy.

She was grinding her teeth. A burning feeling in her chest. _How dare him to talk to me like that? And why the hell did he call Laura ‘babe’? No, they can’t be together…_ But before she could expose the way she felt about it, Laura talked first.

“Let me go, Elliot! I already told you, if you think that way, stay away from me.” She broke free from the boy’s grip. “And one more thing: I’m not your ‘babe’, I never was and I never will be.” She was by Ivy’s side now, and when Elliot tried to get to her again, Ivy got between them, shielding Laura. She stood tall, she was ready to fight him if she needed to.

“Didn’t you hear her? Leave her alone.”

“Who do you think you are to talk to me like that? This-” He gestured between him and Laura. “is not your business. Go to the others freaks and stay there with them, you don’t belong here, with good people like me and Laura.”

“You’re right, at least in part… I don’t belong anywhere near a dipshit like you… But Laura? She’s much better than you and me. She’s an amazing human being and she can choose who she wants to spend time with.” She walked back and stopped by Laura’s side. “Oh, and this-” Now was her turn to gesture between her and the other girl. “Our friendship isn’t your damn business.”

To say Elliot was furious was an understatement. His hands were folded into fists. He didn’t like to be treated like this. He waited so long, he tried to be nice to Laura, but she never gave in. He wasn’t going to wait anymore. _I’ll take what’s mine._

“Oh, there you are.” A woman's voice said, bringing the three of them back from their moment.

“Hi, Mrs. Donovan!” Laura smiled and waved. She was relieved that someone came in to end this discussion.

“Good morning Mrs. Donovan.” Ivy gave her teacher a tight-lipped smile.

“So, I saw that you two got Les Misérables for your assignment. This is one of my favorite books. I can’t wait to see what you girls will write about it. From what I know about Miss Wright, and what your father talks about you, Miss Reed, I have really high hopes for this project.” The older woman said with a big smile. “Shall we go to class?”

“Yes, ma'am.” The girls said in unison. They left the hallway, leaving a very frustrated Elliot behind.

* * *

As the A.P. English Literature class went by, Ivy got anxious. Laura wasn’t so cold with her, but she was still a little distant. _Maybe I crossed a line, maybe I shouldn’t have interfered in their conversation._ She was so lost in her head, that she didn’t hear Laura asking her something about their chore. Only when she felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked at the other girl, who had an amused smile on her face.

“What?”

“I thought you said you were here for me if I needed someone to talk to, but it seems like you went somewhere else in there.” Laura poked Ivy’s head.

“I- I’m sorry” Ivy gave her an apologetic smile.

“You have already said that too much for me today.” She returned the smile. “Now it’s my turn to ask: Is everything okay? You keep bouncing your leg.”

“Oh, I’m sorry-” And then Laura gave her a knowing look. “Yeah… I- I’m just a little nervous.”

“About what?” She was frowning.

“I… Did I overstep any boundaries? I mean on the hall, with Elliot… I don’t want to assume anything, but my dad told me about what happened two days ago… And the way he talked to you today…” Ivy, who was staring at her notebook now, dared to glance at Laura one more time. She couldn’t read her face. “Shit! If I wasn’t before, I’m now. You don’t need to answer it, that’s none of my concern.” She straightened herself on the chair and gathered her things, avoiding the other girl's eyes.

“Hey!” Laura’s voice was soft. “It’s okay.” She put her hand on top of Ivy’s, who looked at their hands with wide eyes. As soon as Laura noticed what Ivy was looking at, she retracted her hand, cleared her throat and continued talking, trying to keep it cool. “You didn’t overstep. He did it. I should thank you for defending me. People usually walk on by, like it’s just another ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ fight. Which is not the case.”

Ivy just nodded. She felt relieved to know that Laura and Elliot weren’t a thing. “So, what did you want to talk about? You know, when I was zoned out.”

“Uh… I was asking if you read the book again. We need to get this task done fast and it has to be perfect, Mrs. Donovan made it clear that she doesn’t expect anything less than that.”

“Yeah, I did. I took my copy and read it these past two nights.” Ivy started giggling. “I remember that you cried when we saw the movie.”

“It’s a beautiful story. It thrills me.” Laura huffed and folded her arms over her chest. But she couldn’t hold her laughter for too long.

“We could meet after school… for the project… at your house, or mine… or somewhere else, you can pick a place. If you want to, of course.” Ivy said while fidgeting her fingernails. It was a bad habit, but she couldn’t help it.

“Sure. My dad will be working late, so we’ll have plenty of time to expose our thoughts and start writing about it.”

“Okay, I have class with my dad in the next period, I’ll let him know that I’ll be at your place.”

* * *

“Hey, Vy!” Charlie said when Ivy was approaching the group. “How about we go out to eat something to celebrate that you joined the team?”

“Hey, guys! I’m sorry, but I have plans already… with my English Literature assignment.”

“Boo. You’re such a nerd!” Kevin said laughing. And at this, Ivy put her hand on her chest in a sign of mock offense.

As the group got engaged in a conversation, Elise whispered on Ivy’s ear. “So, you have a date with Laura… My tips really worked, huh?”

“It’s not a date… We’re going to study. That’s all.”

“Mmm, yeah… that’s how it starts, right?” She pulled back a little so her friend could see her face and winked at her.

Ivy just rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible.” She said chuckling. How could she get mad at her best friend?

“What are you two plotting about?” Bryan had a curious look on his face.

“Nothing at all.” Elise shrugged her shoulders. “Ivy’s just saying that she needs to go meet her partner.”

“Who are you going to do the assignment with?” Lewis asked. “I hope it’s someone that actually helps you out. I hate when I’m partner up with somebody that doesn’t give two shits about the project.”

“I’m doing it with Laura…”

“Laura Wright? AKA the head cheerleader?” Bryan asked slack-jawed.

“Oh, that’s why Elliot was giving you a deadly look, and telling the coach that he shouldn’t allow you to join the team.” Kevin said.

“He’s very jealous, even though they aren’t a couple. He’s trying to go out on a date with Laura since sophomore.” Charlie hugged her girlfriend. “He is a homophobe. He tried to take us out of the team… But Mr. Hopper said that he is the coach, so he’s the one that decides who’s in and who’s out. And he let us stay.”

“Yeah, I got that… And I only talked to him once.”

“You didn’t tell me that. When was it?” Elise inquired.

“At lunch break. I was talking to Laura and he came in and told me that I should go join the ‘freaks’ and stay away from good people like him” Ivy snorted while saying the last part.

“Just ignore him. That’s what we all do.” Lewis put his arm around Ivy’s shoulder. “You’re not a freak, none of you guys are. At least not for being gay.” He gave his friends a sympathetic smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://just-queer-me.tumblr.com/).


	6. Chapter 6

** Chapter 06 **

 

Laura was standing outside the school when she spotted Ivy. _Okay, breathe. We’re just going to my place to do our assignment. Nothing more. Project partners do this kind of stuff, right? It’s… normal._ She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t realize she had started walking, noticing only when she bumped into someone, and all of her things fell on the floor.

“Whoa there!” She heard a familiar voice saying. She bent down without even looking at who she ran into. “Didn’t know you still hated me so much that you felt the need to run me over.” The person said laughing and knelt down to help her pick up her belongings.

Laura frowned. “What?” When she looked up, Ivy was smiling at her. “Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.” She couldn’t help the smile spreading on her face. “I-I mean, I did. B-but then I didn’t…” _Damn. Get yourself together girl!_ “I was looking for you.”

“Well, mission accomplished.” Ivy said giving back the books she gathered from the ground.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought both girls back to reality.

“Hey guys!” Laura gave them an awkward smile and wave. She hadn’t noticed them there.

They all smiled at her.

“So, why are you giving us the honor of your presence?” Bryan asked, although the group already knew the answer.

“Oh... Actually, I came here for Ivy.” She blushed a little. “We’re partners for an English Literature chore.” She didn’t want to be rude, so she continued. “But, we could hang out sometime… if you guys want to?”

“Yeah, that would be great.” Elise said, and then she looked at her best friend with an almost imperceptible sly smile.

“So, I think we’d better get going… We have a lot to talk about.” As soon as she said that, she saw the smirk on Elise’s face grow, so she added quickly. “The book, about the book.”

Kevin and Bryan caught the interaction between Ivy and Elise. They narrowed their eyes and looked at each other with amused smiles on their faces. Charlie saw Elise giving Ivy some… weird looks. Laura was too distracted trying to keep herself in check. Lewis, who was oblivious to everything that was happening, asked. “Which book?”

“Les Misérables.” The girls said in unison.

“So,” Kevin said, dragging the O for a few seconds. “We’re not going to waste your time anymore. Good luck with your… homework.” He turned to his boyfriend, who gave him a knowing look.

Laura tilted her head to one side, not knowing exactly what he meant by that, but shrugged it off. “Let’s go then.”

“Sure.” Ivy said. “See you guys tomorrow!”

When both girls were out of earshot, Bryan asked. “What the hell was all that about? Are they a thing?”

“No.” Elise had her poker face on. “They’re just doing this assignment together... like they said.” 

“Yeah…. And that ‘didn’t know you still hated me so much’? Just part of their assignment too?”

“They were friends before Ivy left without saying goodbye. I accepted Ivy’s apologies right away, Laura didn’t .”

“So are you going to tell me you guys didn’t feel anything more than ‘just friends’ between them?”

“Nope.” Charlie said holding her girlfriend. “They were just trying to get along to do this project right.”

“Yeah, it’s terrible to do a project with someone you can’t talk to, and when you do, there’s just sarcasm and bitterness.” Lewis reasoned. “Besides, Ivy didn’t confirm if she’s really gay. Nor did Laura.”

“I’m with you, babe.” Kevin said. “I think that there’s something else between them. But maybe they’re not a thing yet? Like, they haven't realized what their true feelings are, or they haven’t declared to each other so far. It happens a lot. Girls are just too complicated.” He gave Elise and Charlie a playful wink.

“Okay, don’t you two have better things to do?”

“You’re no fun, you know that?” Bryan rolled his eyes but surrendered.

After that, the group said their goodbyes and parted.

 

* * *

 

 

“Thank you.”

“Mm?”

“For standing by me. I appreciate that.” Elise gave Charlie a chaste kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah… That’s what girlfriends are for.” She said smiling. “But you do know something, don’t you?”

Elise didn’t answer, just enlaced their fingers.

“I get that... she’s your best friend and all. Still, I want to say something about it.”

The other girl nodded, waiting for her lover to continue.

“Be careful. It’s like Lewis said, Laura might not be gay.” She stopped walking and looked at Elise’s eyes. “If you keep encouraging Ivy, and she ends up with a broken heart, she will suffer. And so will you. I don’t want neither of you to get hurt, mainly you.” She hugged her girlfriend and kissed the top of her head. “You don’t need to tell me anything, you guys have your secrets. That’s totally fine. I only want you to have this in mind, okay?”

“Okay.”

 

* * *

 

 

They walked in relative silence, just making small talk about something they saw on their way to Laura’s. There were some stolen glances and smiles. Both girls were content. Being around each other felt right, like a cold drink in the summer, or a bonus blanket in the winter.

“So, we’re here.” Laura stopped in front of her house.

“It’s been a while, but it’s pretty much the way I remember.” Ivy smiled fondly at her.

Laura nodded and opened the door, holding it open for the other girl. As soon as they were inside, Ivy looked around smiling at the memories that came back to her, all the time they spent together talking about their favorite foods, tv shows, superheroes, bands… The way Laura was… always so kind, never giving up when Ivy got stuck on her homework.

“You can go upstairs and get settled. I’ll fix us some food and meet you there.” Laura said heading to the kitchen. “You remember the way, right?” She added over her shoulder.

“Yeah… I think so.” She started climbing the stairs, still lost in her memories. When she walked into Laura’s bedroom, she chuckled because it was almost the same from years ago, it only had more books now. She placed her backpack on the floor next to the bed and started looking around. A picture on one of the shelves took her eye. _This photo… We took it that night. The night I ran._

 

*** 3 years earlier ***

**They were at Laura’s house. It was their first day of vacation.**

**“Oh, come on! Please?” Laura said with a pout.**

**“Okay. Just one though.” Ivy was shaking her head. “Someday this pout of yours won’t work, you know?” But she couldn’t stop the smile on her face.**

**Laura beamed and hugged her. Then there was a flash. They waited to see the photo that came from the camera.**

**“We’re so cute!”**

**“You are. Me, on the other hand…”**

**“Stop it! I’m your friend. I wouldn’t lie to you. So, when I say you’re cute, it’s because you are.” She put her finger on Ivy’s chest, who shrugged. Laura rolled her eyes and hip bumped her.**

**“Oooh, is this how it’s gonna be?”**

**“No, don’t you dare!”**

**“Me? I’m not doing anything… yet.” Ivy ran after Laura around the room. She knocked the girl down on the bed and started tickling her.**

**Tears began to come out from the corners of Laura’s eyes, she was laughing so hard. But soon Ivy took pity on her and stopped. They looked at each other in the eye for what felt like hours. Then there was an alarm ringing.**

**“What is that?” Ivy said, getting off of Laura.**

**“Mm, I set the alarm cuz I didn’t want to miss the show that I told you about.” She stood up, her back against the headboard. “Do you want to watch it?”**

**“Yeah, sure.” She straightened herself, so she was sitting right beside the other girl. She took her cell phone and saw that there were some messages from her mother.**

**[mom]: Hey sweetheart**

**[mom]: Are you going to sleep over there?**

**[mom]: Or do you want me to come to pick you up?**

**Laura turned on the TV. But Ivy couldn’t really keep up with the show, her head was running wild thinking about what she almost did before the alarm went off. She knew that she was different. She didn’t think boys were her thing. However, she hadn’t the courage to come out. People at school already thought that she was a freak, she didn’t need to give them this new motive to make fun of her. _She is one of the most popular girls, she would never be with someone like me. She won’t want to be my friend anymore if she discovers that I like girls._ Just then Laura leaned close to her, resting her head on Ivy’s shoulder. Her eyes went wide. _Why is my heart beating so fast?_ She felt Laura’s fingers playing with hers. _No no no. I have a… I have a crush on her? OH MY GOD! This can’t be happening. Stop to think about it, don’t make a move. She only wants you as a friend. She will hate you if she finds out about it, she will think that you are a perv, th-that you were purely using her._ She was freaking out. She took her phone with her free hand and sent a text to her mother.**

**[Ivy]: Hey, can u pick me up? Like, now?**

**[mom]: Is everything okay honey?**

**[Ivy]: Yeah… I just really want to go home. Please?**

**[mom]: Okay, I’ll text you as soon as I arrive there.**

**The following minutes couldn’t pass fast enough for Ivy. She was stiff. Laura was still making patterns on her palm. When her phone buzzed again, Laura turned to her with a frown.**

**“You okay?” She was so close, their faces inches apart.**

**“I need to go.” Ivy got out of the bed, put her shoes on, grabbed her bag and headed to the door.**

**“Wh-What? Why?” Laura was in shock. When she got up, Ivy was already going down the stairs. Before she could leave her room, she heard the front door slamming shut. So she went to the window and saw Ivy entering in her mother’s car. She backed off, her eyes full of tears, and a stabbing pain in her chest.**

 

Laura came in with the food. But Ivy didn’t notice her.

“We were so cute…”

“Well, you still are.” Ivy said, turning to face the other girl.

“Oh, are you trying to make me say that you are cute too?” She smiled, but there was sadness in it.

“No. I’m not.” She situated the photograph back on the shelf.

“I don’t know if it has changed, but I made your favorite.”

She smiled tenderly. “Yeah, it hasn’t changed. Thank you.”

They ate whilst talking about their other classes. They had two more periods together, but they didn’t sit next to each other.

“Let me help you with the dishes since you made us food.”

“Later. For now, let’s start our assignment.” Laura put away their plates, sat at her bed and patted the spot next to her for Ivy to sit.

The girls spent the rest of the day doing their project. Ivy was glad that when they talked about the book Laura didn’t have that bitterness on her voice anymore like she had on the first day at school. It was almost 7 pm when they decided to call it a day. They went downstairs, Ivy insisted to help with the dishes. And that’s when Christopher arrived from work.

“Uh, hi… I didn’t know we had guests.” He said as he entered the kitchen. He looked straight into Ivy, who smiled at him.

“Hello, Mr. Wright. It’s good to see you again, sir.” She outstretched a hand toward him.

“Have we met?” He shook her hand. “Wait... I know you. You’re really different though.”  He frowned. “Something with V, right?”

“Ivy.” She said.

“Yeah, you used to come here to study with my Laura. But it was a long time ago… What happened to you?”

“I went to the US with my mother, sir.”

“Oh, I see… Are you staying for the night?”

“No. She was just about to leave.” Laura said quickly. This situation was a little too awkward.

Like clockwork, there was someone honking outside the house.

“Well, that’s my cue.” Ivy grabbed her things.

“It was good to see you again, kid.”

“You too, sir.” She smiled at him and then turned to Laura. “Thanks for everything. See you tomorrow.”

“See ya.” She opened the door for Ivy and waited until she was inside the car to close it.

“So, you two are friends again?”Her father asked as he picked a beer and went to sit on the couch.

“Kind of… We’re partners for an English Literature project.” She called out from the stairs. She wasn’t going to watch her dad drinking again.

Once in her bedroom, she picked the photo of her and Ivy, laid on her bed and passed her thumbs across their faces. She wasn’t angry with Ivy. A little hurt, of course, but she was happy to have her friend back.

* * *

 

 

“Hi, mom.”

“Hey, sweetie. How was your day?”

“Fine... More than that actually.” Ivy gave her mother a genuine smile, her eyes were sparkling, her whole face lighting up.

“Okay, I’ll bite the bullet. Did you girls talk? You know, about…”

“No, mom.” She said chuckling. “But we had a great time.”

“Mmm, I can see that.” Haylee nodded, she had a smile on her face too. How could she not be happy when her daughter was so blissful? “Are you guys going to do this again? I mean, study together… Maybe at our place next time?” She shot a glance at Ivy, then focused on the streets again.

“No idea… I’ll ask her tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you text her now and ask?”

“I didn’t ask for her number, and I don’t know if it’s still the same… It’s been three years after all.” Her smile faded, just a little.

“Well, you could text Elise… You said she is a cheerleader too, right? Perhaps she has Laura’s number.”

Ivy was laughing and shaking her head. Her mother was impossible. “Mom, I know you want me to talk, like, really talk to Laura. But I don’t even know if she’s…” She waved her hands around, in an attempt to make Haylee understand what she was trying to say.

“You will never know if you don’t ask. Plus, I think she deserves an elucidation.” She said while parking her car. She turned the ignition off and looked at her child. “She’s a kind and sweet girl, I don’t think she will push you away, even if she isn’t… on the same page as you.” She didn’t have a problem with her daughter liking other girls, but Ivy wasn’t a fan of the words ‘lesbian’ and ‘gay’. She thought that she didn’t need a label, she is who she is, no tags required. It’s not like she was against them, she respected who used it. People should be able to call themselves whatever they want, and that’s what she was doing.

“You’re right. I guess that’s the advantage of having a psychologist as a mom.” She joked. “I owe her an explanation. Still, I don’t want to mess up once more. I’ll give it time, see how our friendship progress, then I’ll tell her… everything.” She gave her mother a confident smile, took her seat belt off and exited the car with Haylee following her lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://just-queer-me.tumblr.com/).


	7. Chapter 7

** Chapter 07 **

 

As the weeks went by, Laura and Ivy's friendship grew strong. They studied together almost every day and partnered up to do all the assignments of the classes they had in common.

Ivy was overjoyed. Everything was going better than she expected. She had friends, Laura was letting her walls down, her grades were excellent and Mr.Hopper, the coach, said that she’s really talented.

It was Saturday, after a game, the team and the cheerleaders were exiting the field. Ivy was the name of the game, everybody was congratulating her. Well, almost everybody… Elliot was trying to make Laura give him attention.

“Aren’t you going to congratulate me? I won the game.”

“The team won the game. But okay, you are part of the team, so I suppose you deserve it… Congrats.” As soon as she said it, she headed to where the others were.

“Hey, wait!” He grabbed her by the wrist. “Don’t you wanna go out with me to celebrate?” Elliot raised his eyebrows and smirked at her.

“What?!” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “No!” She tried to get away, but he pulled her closer to him.

“Oh, come on!” His voice was low and husky. “I know you want too, just as much as I do.” He was so close that she could feel his breath.

Ivy noticed when Elliot approached Laura. So she tried to excuse herself from the crowd as fast as she could.

“Is everything okay Laura?”

“You again?” He turned towards Ivy and pushed the other girl behind him. “Can’t you see that you’re interrupting us? Do you disturb every couple you see or is it just us?”

“From what I recall, you are not her boyfriend. And, I’m not talking to you.” She shoved him away from Laura. Then she looked at the girl's wrist and saw the mark he left there. Her face was reddening, her breath got heavy and she was grinding her teeth. “How dare you hurt her?” She was trying to keep her voice low, because of Laura. She glared at him, and he stomped back.

“I-It’s not your business.” He regained composure and straightened himself, he was not going to be intimidated by some dyke. “I do to her what I please. She is mine!”

Ivy folded her hands into fists. “She’s her own person. She doesn’t belong to anyone.” She took a step in his direction, her chest stuffed. “Now… Get. Out.” She said between gritted teeth.

Laura got in the middle of them. “Stop it!” Her hands on Ivy’s chest.

“Yeah, you heard her. Leave us alone, you freak.” The boy said with a smug smile.

“Is that what you want?” Ivy asked with soft eyes.

“No.” She said with an expression that the other girl couldn’t describe. Then Laura turned to face Elliot. “You are the one who needs to stop. I already told you, I’m not your girlfriend. We are not a couple.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Look, Elliot, if you want to be friends, okay, I’ll take it. But nothing more than that.”

“You can’t be serious.” He said laughing. “Everything was going great between us… Then this weirdo came back, and you just... No, you can’t. You wouldn’t, right?” He looked at Laura, then directed his gaze towards Ivy, and looked back at Laura, as the realization struck him. “Are you kidding me? Are you with her?” He grimaced. “That’s disgusting!” He shook his head. “How could you? You’re so hot. You could be with me if you wanted to. Do you know how many girls would kill to have my attention? Why on hell would you prefer to be with her? I can’t believe you’re one of those sick people.”

And then everything happened so fast. Before Laura could comprehend what took place, Elliot was on the ground, his hands on his nose, which was bleeding.

“Don’t you ever talk to her like that. She deserves respect. And if you don’t have any, I’ll teach you some.” Ivy barked out.

Thank God, and to Laura’s relief, everybody else was gone. They were the only ones out there.

“You’re gonna regret this.” He said as he stood up. “You both are.” With these last words, he left.

When she looked at Laura and saw the shocked expression on her face, she couldn’t help the guilt she felt.

“I’m so sorry.” She took the girl’s hands on hers. “I didn’t mean to… I-I’m sorry, but I couldn’t let him say those things about y-you. I know it’s not my place to assume anything, but you told me that you weren’t together, then there was this mark on your wrist. A-and I saw red. I’m sorry. Please, don’t think that I don’t trust you to take care of yourself, because I do. I know you are strong enough to-” She was cut off by a hand on her mouth.

“Hey. Breathe, okay?”

Ivy nodded and smiled sheepishly. “I was rambling, wasn’t I? God, I’m sorry. I do this when I get too anxious.”

“That’s totally fine... I’m mean the rambling part.” She smiled faintly and looked at the hand that was still on Ivy’s. When the other girl noticed what Laura was looking at, she retracted her hands and lowered her head.

“I’m sorry.”

“I think you say that too much for me. You don’t need to apologize for defending me, even though I can take care of myself. And, although I feel grateful for having you by my side, I do not accept violence. You crossed a line.” She looked at Ivy, who was still with her head down. “But,” She waited Ivy lift her gaze to meet hers. “You really seem to be sorry for your behavior… So we’re good… However, you have to promise me that you won’t do anything like this again.”

“Deal.” Ivy sighed relieved. Though that feeling didn’t last for long. “I’m sorry.”

Laura rolled her eyes and started walking towards the exit.

Ivy began to move, to keep up with Laura’s pace. “I mean about…” _Oh God, help me._ “That Elliot thinks that we’re together and will probably tell the whole school. I-I didn’t want to mess with your… reputation.” Her voice was small now.

Laura turned around, and Ivy almost ran her over. “Do you really think I care about what people think about me? Look, I never tried to be someone I’m not, just to be popular. If people like me because of who I am, that’s fine. And if they don’t … Well, that’s fine too.I’m not going to waste my time mourning about someone that stopped talking to me cuz I’m gay.”

Ivy was slack-jawed. How Laura could be this confident? The sound of Laura giggling brought her back.

“Close your mouth or you’re gonna catch a fly.”

“Oh…” Ivy rubbed the back of her neck. “Uh, I-I just wasn’t expecting… that.”

“What? That I’m a lesbian?”

Ivy just nodded her head. She was too nervous to say something.

“It’s not like I tell everybody… Actually, this is the first time I say it out loud. I’ve never felt this need to come out. And, well, I can’t say that I have already kissed a girl or anyone at all… But I kinda feel it, you know? Boys are nice, but I never wanted to be with them.”

“And girls?” It was a stupid question, but she couldn’t think straight. Even more now, with this new information.

“I guess that’s what lesbian means, right?” She joked. “But, yeah, I do… What about you?” Laura asked.

Ivy’s eyes almost popped out. “I, uh, I-I like girls too, if that’s what you’re asking me. But I don’t feel like using the words lesbian or gay… It’s just a label, and I don’t want to be defined by it.” She looked away, that wasn’t how she had planned to say it to Laura. “In fact, I was going to tell you… And now, after all this,” She waved her hands around them. “I feel like an idiot to have waited so long.”

Before Laura could ask what Ivy was talking about exactly, the other girl’s phone started ringing.

“It’s my mom… She must be looking for me.” She picked her phone and saw what time it was. “Shit! It’s been almost an hour since the game ended.” She said it more to herself than to Laura.

“Hi, mom… Yeah, I’m still here…. I’m sorry. I was talking to Laura and lost track of time…” She gave Laura an apologetic smile. “Uh, yeah, I will ask her... Okay, I’m on my way… Bye.” She hanged up the phone and sighed.

“Do you need a ride home? My mom said we could give you one if you want to.”

“Yeah, that actually would be great.” She smiled warmly. “My dad probably forgot about the game today…”

“Hey, I know it must be hard for you. I couldn’t believe when you told me how it got worst. But I’m here for you. I won’t run this time.” She gave her arm for the girl. “And before you ask me about it, I’ll tell you. I promise. Not today though… I don’t really think we have time now, but soon enough.”

Laura linked their arms and nodded. She couldn’t believe that this was happening, Ivy would finally tell her the truth.

 

* * *

 

 

It was a pleasant ride back to her house. Albeit the episode with Elliot, her day was really good. When she closed the front door, she found a very drunk and, judging by his face, angry Christopher sat in a chair in the kitchen, with an empty bottle of whiskey in his hands.

“Where the fuck were you till now?” He yelled at her.

“I was at the game! The one you clearly forgot to go to.” She tried to be strong, but seeing her father like this… it broke her heart. She missed him, the way he was when she was younger. He used to go to all of her presentations, even the ones she didn’t get to play an important character. There was one time that she got to be a tree, she was sad because she didn’t want to, but Christopher told her all about the trees and how they were essential as well. “I know I’m not a player, but the cheerleader part is relevant too. And you promised you would be there.” Stubborn tears began to roll down her face. She didn’t want to cry, she didn’t want to look like a spoiled kid, who was upset about a toy no one was willing to give her.

“Don’t make this about me. This is all about you!” He used the table to help him to stand up. “My boss called me. Do you know what he said?”

 _Oh God, no, please. Had Elliot told everybody already?_ She didn’t care what others thought about her… but she did care about her father’s opinion. She really didn’t know how he would react.

“That someone tried to take advantage of you, and his son saved you. He even had a broken nose for helping you, and you just left him there!”

“Wh-What?” That was not what Laura was expecting.

“Yeah, that’s what you heard, I already know everything. Why did you leave him there? He’s a good kid! And he really likes you. I don’t understand. What more could you want in a boyfriend? He’s popular, the best player of the team, rich and cares about you.”

“He is not my boyfriend! And he definitely wasn’t the one who protected me.”

“Are you saying he’s lying? Why would he do that? And why you keep dodging my question? Where were you? Who was this person that tried to take advantage of you? I hope Elliot beat the shit out of him.” His face was red and his voice becoming louder with each word he said.

Laura bit her lip. She wasn’t ready to come out to her dad. And if she told him that Elliot was the one who tried to assault her, well, Christopher was probably going after him… and that wasn’t a good idea. Not with him this drunk, anyway.

“Fuck, Laura!” He raised his hand and she closed her eyes waiting for the impact. But it didn’t come. Not against her face at least. There was a sound of glass shattering. She opened her eyes and saw her father looking in the cabinets for another bottle of booze. “Why do you always have to make things this difficult?” His voice wasn’t too loud now, but still a bit harsh.

Laura went to her room and picked some clothes and put them in her backpack. When she came downstairs again, her father was drinking on the couch.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m not staying here while you keep drinking.” He tried to stand up but fell down on his ass. “ You’re too drunk to stop me. You’ll hurt yourself if you keep trying.” Though it pained her, she couldn’t just sit there and watch her father do this to himself.

The moment she left the house she started crying again. She grabbed her phone and called the only person she knew she could count on at this moment.

 

* * *

 

 

Ivy arrived home with her parents. They were very happy with the outcome of the game. Noah suggested they could have pizzas to celebrate. While he was ordering their food, Ivy went to shower. When she entered her room to change, her mom was there waiting for her.

“So, are you going to tell me already, or do I have to ask?” Haylee said cheerfully.

Ivy looked at her mother, shook her head and laughed. “Mom, there’s nothing to tell. Nothing happened… Well, at least between us.” Her laughter and her smile faltered.

“What do you mean?” She had a confused expression on her face.

“After the game, I saw Elliot grabbing Laura’s wrist… Nobody else seemed to have noticed it, so I excused myself from the crowd and headed to where they were. In brief, he said a bunch of offensive things to Laura, then I punched him square in the face.” She started to put some clothes on. She couldn’t stand the look on her mother’s face.

“You… what??” Haylee was astonished, not in a good way. “Ivy… I-I can’t believe you did something like that. That’s awful!”

“I know. And I’m sorry.” She sat by her mom’s side. “Laura didn’t take it well too.” She sighed. “The way he talked to her… It made me so angry.” She looked at her mom. “I didn’t think about it, I just did it. I know that’s not an excuse. And I promise not to do anything like this ever again.”

Haylee hugged her daughter and kissed the top of her head. They stayed like this for a bit. Then Ivy broke the silence.

“Laura said she is gay.”

Her mom squeezed her one more time and let the girl go. “Yeah?”

“Yeah… And she asked about me.”

“And what did you say?”

“I said that I like girls too.”

“So, did you girls talk about… everything?”

“No. Not yet.” She gave her mom a small smile. Before she could continue, her phone rang. She picked it up and saw Laura’s number. “It’s Laura.” She frowned. “Hey, Laura… wh-what??... Calm down, breathe… Okay, now tell me why are you crying? What happened?... Uh, yeah, you can sleep here tonight…” She looked at her mom, who nodded. “Where are you?... Near the park?... Do you want me to go to meet you?... Okay, I’ll wait for you here then… Bye.”

“Is everything okay?” Haylee’s voice was full of concern.

“I don’t think so. She was crying, but she didn’t tell me why. She just asked if she could stay here.” Ivy didn’t know what to think, but her heart was hurting for the other girl.

“Well, I’m going to tell Noah that we’ll have company.” She kissed Ivy’s head again and left the room.

 

* * *

 

 

 Ivy, her mother, and her father were settling the table, making small talk. Then they heard a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it.” Ivy said promptly. Her parents just nodded. When she opened the front door, she found Laura with a sad smile.

“Hey. I hope I’m not disturbing or anything… I know it was a last-minute thing… I just-”

“Hey, that’s okay.” Ivy stepped aside, so the other girl could enter the house. “Come on in.” Her smile was sweet, she wanted to assure Laura that everything would be okay, that she was safe there. “Do you feel like eating? Dad ordered us some pizza, it just arrived.”

“Actually, yes. I haven’t really eaten since before the game…” She looked down, she didn’t want to talk about her father right now. “Can I put my backpack in your room and use your bathroom to take a quick shower?”

“Yeah, sure. There are clean towels in the third drawer.”

“Thank you. I’ll be right back.” She kissed Ivy’s cheek and went upstairs.

Ivy was taken aback by this gesture, it took her a couple of minutes to get herself together. When she turned around, she found her parents with amused smiles on their faces. “What?”

“Nothing…” Noah said. “I just thought that you would come out to me before bringing a girl home.”

“Mom! Did you tell him?”

“So, is that an admission?”

“No, dad. Laura is just a friend.” Her mom snorted at this and Ivy glared at her. “I meant about the coming out part.”

“Now darling, I’m your father. I have always known about you. Haylee didn’t tell me anything. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. When I saw the way you looked at her and the kiss that she gave you, I thought that, maybe, you were more than friends.”

Ivy put her hand on her face and groaned. Her mother couldn’t help her laugh. Noah, seeing her daughter antics, chuckled and shook his head. And that’s the exact moment that Laura was coming down the stairs. She looked at them and frowned.

“Did I miss something?” She approached with a small smile forming on her lips.

“No, darling. Noah was just messing around with Ivy.”

“I’m sorry for not greeting you all before, that was rude of me.” She came around the table and gave each one of Ivy’s parents a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“That’s okay, Miss Wright…uh, sorry, Laura.” Noah corrected himself. “You aren’t allergic to anything, are you? I didn’t know you were coming when I ordered them…”

“No. Thank you, Mr. Reed.”

“Don’t, please. Call me Noah. We are not at school after all.” He smiled fondly at her.

The dinner went smoothly. They all laughed at stories about Ivy’s childhood and some funny tales Noah told about students he’d had.

When the meal ended, Laura offered herself to help with the dishes, but Ivy’s parents refused and told her and Ivy to go upstairs and have fun.

As they were nearing her bedroom, Ivy noticed the way Laura’s body language was changing. She didn’t want to pressure the girl, she knew better than that.

“So… What do you want to do? We could watch something or… I don’t know… I think that I still have some board and card games if you want to play.”

Laura sighed relieved. “A movie would be fine.” She looked at Ivy and smiled gratefully.

They laid on the bed. Laura rested her head on Ivy’s shoulder, who, unlike the last time, didn’t freak out. On the contrary, she wrapped her arm around the other girl and pulled her close. They stayed like this for a while, till Laura broke into tears. Ivy just held her tighter and kissed the top of her head.

“Everything is going to be okay. I’m here for you.”

Laura buried her face on Ivy’s chest and started to cry even harder. Ivy, on the other hand, kept saying sweet things and making smooth circular motions on her back, trying to calm the girl down.

When Laura’s breathing evened out, she let go from Ivy’s embrace and sat on her heels, facing her friend.

“I’m sorry. I just-” She straightened herself and took a deep breath.

“Hey, take your time. You don’t need to tell me if you’re not ready yet.”

“I know… Thank you for being so understanding.” She took one of Ivy’s hand and gave it a light squeeze.

“You’re welcome.” She smiled tenderly. “But, if you’re thanking me for that… well, then I should do the same because you’ve been so considerate and forgiving with me. I feel like I can’t thank you enough.”

Laura nodded and returned to their previous position, without letting Ivy’s hand go.

“It’s my father… We argued and he almost hit me.” Ivy said nothing, just intertwined their fingers, waiting for the girl to continue.

“He never hit me, and I’m relieved that he didn’t cross that line… I told him that I wouldn’t stay home to see him drinking more.” Her eyes were glossy again. “I love him, but I can’t just ignore it. I want my dad back. I don’t know what to do anymore, cuz every time I try to talk to him about it, he gets angry.”

“Is that why you two argued today?”

Laura shook her head no. She glanced up at the ceiling, trying hard not to start crying all over again.

“Elliot’s father called him.”

Ivy’s eyes widened. “What for? Did Elliot tell his father about what happened earlier?”

“Kind of… He said that someone tried to take advantage of me, so he came to rescue me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, there’s more. He said that he got punched for saving me and that I abandoned him there.”

“What did you say to your father?”

“That he wasn’t the one who saved me. But he kept asking about who was this person that tried to take advantage of me… and where did I go when I left Elliot all alone.”

“Why didn’t you tell him what really happened?”

“I was afraid that he would go to Elliot’s house and do something stupid... and that Elliot would out me to him.” Laura brought her knees to her chest and lowered her head.

“Hey, it’s okay to be afraid. And if you’re not ready to come out to him, it’s okay too.”

“It’s not that.” She looked Ivy in the eye. “He was way too drunk. I didn’t want to talk to him about it with him like that… Okay, maybe I’m a little scared about it too. I don’t have any idea of how he’ll react.”

“I get that.” Ivy chuckled. “I only found out today that my dad knew about me.”

“Wait… Is that what was happening when I got down there?”

“Yeah… Oh God, I was so embarrassed. But I should have known that he knew about me.” She smiled. “I guess I was afraid because you see some people say that they are okay with it, but then when it’s their kid, they don’t like it so much.”

“Your parents are great. More than that actually.”

“Mhmm…” Ivy was getting a little bit anxious. Laura opened herself, let her walls down. She needed to do the same. Now that Laura came out to her, she felt dumb for having waited so long. But she didn’t know it back then... She freaked out and did what she thought was the best. Although the only thing that she really did was screw things up.

“I was going to kiss you.” Ivy blurted out.

“Wh-What?” Laura said with a shaky voice. _Did she just…? Oh my God! When?_

“That day at your house… But then your alarm went off and I panicked. I started to think that I was delusional. You only wanted me as a friend, and I was crazy to think that you would want something more with me… If you knew that I had a crush on you, you would treat me like the rest did… like I was a freak.”

“Y-You had a… Did you have a c-crush on me?”

“I, uh… I-I still have, actually.” Ivy blushed furiously and looked down, avoiding eye contact with Laura. Even though she was embarrassed, she cleaned her throat and continued. “I didn’t think that I was enough, that I was worth it… And I was so scared that I would lose your friendship, that you would hate me… So I ran, as far as I could. ”

Laura was quiet for a moment. She was intently watching Ivy, who still staring at the floor. She felt bad for the other girl, she didn’t know that she suffered from low self-esteem. It didn’t erase what she did though… Ivy should have just talked to her about it.

“Hey, look at me.” She turned fully toward Ivy and waited for the other girl to do the same. “You are worth it. You’ve always been more than enough. I could never hate you… You should have talked to me, told me how you felt. I spent the last three years thinking that…” She looked away and then back to Ivy, who had the most hopeful expression on her face. “That the girl I’m in love with didn’t like me.” She took Ivy’s hands on hers. “I thought that you didn’t want to be near me because I was broken.”

“Broken? Why would I think that about you?”

“Because my mom left me… And daddy was always drinking.”

“Laura, none of this is your fault.” She pulled the girl and hold her close.

“Oh God, what a great pair we are.” They chuckled.

“So…”

“What?”

“In love, huh?

Laura grunted and hid her face on Ivy’s neck. The other girl laughed and ran her fingers through Laura’s hair.

“Now what?”

Laura pulled back a little so she could look at Ivy. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m in love with you and you’re in love with me… Now what? Do I have to take you on a date first or can I just ask you to be my girlfriend?”

“Why don’t you do both?”

Ivy beamed. “Just wait a sec, okay? I’ll be right back.” She got up from the bed and left the room. Laura remained on the bed, confused. _What the hell?_

Some minutes later, Ivy returned with one hand behind her back and a mischievous grin on her face.

“I know this ain’t much, and I wish I could do more…” Ivy approached Laura and took her hand, helping the other girl to stand. “You’re the most caring, kind, intelligent and beautiful person that I’ve ever met.” She brought the hand that was hidden forward, revealing a red rose. “And I’m so grateful to have had the chance to get to know you…” She looked into Laura’s eyes, took a deep breath and continued. “Will you make me the luckiest person in the entire world and accept me as your girlfriend?”

Laura shoved Ivy’s shoulder. “No.” Her eyes were welled up.

“What?” Ivy asked in disbelief.

“I can’t make you the luckiest person because I’m the lucky one.” She took the rose from Ivy’s hand and brought it to her nose and smiled. “Of course I accept you as my girlfriend…” Ivy put her hand on Lara's cheek and wiped away the girl’s tears with her thumb. “But tell me, where did all that came from?”

“Uh… the rose from my mother’s garden.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “She’ll kill me if she finds out that I picked one... But the prize was worth the risk.” Laura giggled at that. “And, well, I’m not going to lie. I kinda dreamed a lot about this moment, but I never thought that it would become real someday.” Laura leaned in and hugged Ivy.

“So…” Ivy said after a while. “Now that we’ve already declared to each other, and decided that we are girlfriends… Can I finally kiss you?”

Laura backed off just a little from Ivy so that she could look at the girl’s face and nodded.

When their lips met, Laura sighed. It was like all of her worries melted away. As the kiss went on, Ivy smiled. She couldn’t help it, she was so happy. Her fears and anxiety disappeared. It was the first kiss for both girls, and for them it was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://just-queer-me.tumblr.com/).


	8. Chapter 8

** Chapter 08 **

 

Laura opened her eyes, still half asleep. She didn’t want to wake up, cuz she had an amazing dream where Ivy had confessed her true feelings and kissed her. Although everything was a bit foggy, she looked around noticing she wasn’t in her room. She tried to move, but someone was holding her. Then she turned her head a little and saw Ivy sleeping. _It wasn’t just a dream!_ Laura smiled and fully turned around into Ivy’s sleepy embrace. She could hear the other girl’s soft snore. She started to run her fingers through her girlfriend’s hair, carefully trying not to disturb her. After a few moments, Ivy stirred and Laura held back her hand.

“Mmm, don’t stop. ‘S good.” Ivy said, voice thick with sleep.

Laura’s smile grew even wider. “Good morning, Vy.”

“Morning, babe.” She returned the smile, then nuzzled her nose into her girlfriend’s.

“What time is it?”

“No idea.” She scratched out and picked up her cellphone on the nightstand. “It’s almost noon.”

“Crap!” The girl got up from the bed.

“What?” Ivy sat up and observed as Laura gathered her things.

“I need to check up on my dad.” She headed to the bathroom attached to Ivy’s room. “I didn’t intend to stay in bed this late. Although I don’t regret it. It feels nice to cuddle with you.”

“Well, you can snuggle with me every time you want to.” She got out of the bed and started to change from her pajamas too. “Do you want me to go with you?”

“No need.” Laura opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom.

“Can I get you something to eat then?” Ivy said hugging the other girl, who sighed.

“Thanks.” She looked up and kissed her girlfriend on the tip of her nose. “But I’m going to buy something for me and my dad on my way home.”

“Okay.” She let the girl go from their hug and held the bedroom door open for Laura to exit, following her close behind.

They walked down the stairs hand in hand. Haylee was on the armchair with her notebook on her lap, and Noah was on the couch reading the newspaper.  Ivy’s parents noticed that the girls were holding hands, but didn’t say anything.

“Finally! I thought you two wouldn’t join us today.” Haylee said as she placed her notebook on the coffee table.

“Uh, mom… Laura needs to go home, she won’t stay.”

“We could go to that diner near Laura’s house... This way we could give her a ride.” Noah suggested.

 “That would be great, Mr. Re- uh… Noah.” Laura corrected herself.

“Let’s go then.” Haylee said as she picked her purse. “Laura, weren’t you wearing a jacket yesterday?”

“Oh… Actually, yes. I must have forgotten in Ivy’s room. I’ll get it.” She let go from Ivy’s hand and went upstairs. “Thank you, Mrs. Reed.” She called out.

“Haylee is great, dear.” Ivy’s mom answered and then turned her attention to her daughter.

“What?”

“Just friends, huh?” Noah said in a low voice and with a knowing look.

Ivy whined, throwing her head back and staring at the ceiling.

“Sweetie, we’re just happy for you.” Her mother smiled fondly.

 

* * *

 

                       

When they arrived at the diner, Laura bought food for her and her dad. While Ivy’s parents were ordering their food, Ivy followed her girlfriend outside.

“Thanks… for everything.” Laura squeezed her hand. “It really means a lot.”

“Hey, there’s no need to thank me.” Ivy hugged her and kissed the top of her head. “Text me later, okay? I still want to take you out on a proper first date.” Both girls smiled at this.

“Okay… I have to go now.” She leaned in and kissed her girlfriend. “Bye.”

“Bye.” She said with a goofy smile on her face.

Ivy watched as Laura went down the street and when the girl turned the corner, she went back inside to meet her parents.

What neither of them knew was that Elliot, who was heading to Laura’s house, saw their interaction. He waited till Ivy returned to the diner to start following Laura.

When she was stepping on her porch, he grabbed her arm, turning her around. Laura looked up at him and froze.

“You’re really with that freak, uh… I don’t understand what’s wrong with you.”  

She stared back at her house, then brought her gaze towards the boy again. “Shut the fuck up, Elliot.” She said in a low voice.

“Oh, so your daddy doesn’t know, does he? He would be really disappointed with you.”

“What the hell are you even doing here?” She tried to loosen from his hold. “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want anything with you.”  

Before he could answer, the front door cracked open and Christopher came through it.

“Where were you? Where did you sleep last night?” He said looking at his daughter. Then he acknowledged the boy. “What you’re doing here, Elliot?” His voice was rough like he had just woken up.

He straightened himself up and got beside Laura, weakening his grip on her arm. “Just bringing my girlfriend home, sir. I wanted her to be safe.”

“I’m not your girlfriend, Elliot! We’re not even friends.”  She got free from him and climbed the few steps from the porch, stopping near her father.

“Laura, you can’t talk to him like that! He cares about you, he’s only trying to help you out.”

Her heart was pounding too fast on her chest. That’s not how she’d expected her father to find out about her sexuality. _Maybe Elliot won’t tell him._ It was unlikely, but she could hope.

“Babe, come on, don’t be like that.” He reached out for her hand, but she retracted. Hearing him using this pet name made her feel nauseous. It was so different when Ivy said it.

Elliot narrowed his eyes and ground his teeth. “You’re just as sick as her.” He spat the words out. “You know what? Why don’t you tell your father where you were? Or better yet, with whom.”

Christopher stared at his daughter with his brows frowned. “What is he talking about?”

She could feel the tears that were threatening to fall. She couldn’t bear to look at her father. She shook her head and started to cry.

“Yeah, you should be ashamed of it.” He had a sneering smile on his lips.

“What the hell is he talking about, Laura?”

She opened her mouth to answer, but Elliot cut her. “The truth is that your daughter is dating that dyke. That’s where she probably spent the night.”

Christopher had a confused look on his face. “What?” His voice was barely a whisper.

Laura couldn’t stay there anymore. She turned her back to them, entered the house and ran towards her bedroom upstairs. Her dad followed her inside but stopped when he noticed that Elliot followed them inside as well.

“I really tried to make her come back to her senses. This is not natural. This isn’t right. Actually, it’s disgusting!”

“Get out.” Christopher said without looking at the boy.

“What?”

“Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. House.” He confronted Elliot. _He_  was red with anger and  _his face_  was all  _scrunched_  up.

Elliot took some steps back, almost falling when he reached the porch’s stairs. But before he could try to say something, Christopher slammed the door shut on his face.

He leaned on the closed door, looked up at the stairs, put his hands on his forehead, in a sign of frustration, and sighed.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://just-queer-me.tumblr.com/).


	9. Chapter 9

  **Chapter 09**

 

Laura heard her dad yelling and the front door slamming shut. _Shit! What am I going to do?_ She paced around nervously. _If he can’t get in here, I won’t need to talk to him, right?_ She locked her bedroom door.

Christopher passed his hand through his hair and went upstairs. He stared at the door for a while before knocking and trying to open it. When he noticed that the door was locked up, he sighed.

“Laura, open the door.” He was resting his forehead against the door, his voice low, so different from some instants before. “Please… we need to talk.” After a bit, he relented and went to the kitchen.

Sometime later she could hear the sound of glass tinking downstairs. _I can’t believe he’s drinking again._ Before she could realize what she was doing, she was already on the last steps of the stairs. But what she saw in the kitchen was something that… well, shocked her. _Is he…? Oh my freaking God!_

“Dad? Is everything okay?” She leaned on the kitchen wall for support, she was feeling a little dizzy. _Is this really happening?_

Christopher glanced at her and put the bottles down on the sink. He stepped a little closer to his daughter, trying to catch her eye, but she was still avoiding eye contact with him.

“No.” He said firmly. “No, it isn’t. ‘Cause my own daughter can’t stand to look at me in the eye.” Laura looked away at this, she could feel the tears she tried so hard to hide. “She did not trust me enough to talk to me…” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to regain control over his own emotions. “But I don’t blame her.” He opened his eyes and waited for Laura to look at him. “I do not blame you, sweetheart.” He couldn’t stop the sob that came, neither the tears that accompanied it. “I’m so sorry. You were right all along. I do have a drinking problem. And I willing to quit it... because I don’t wanna lose you the way I lost Ben.”

“Uncle Ben? What are you talking about dad? Did he had a drinking problem too?” She was very young when her uncle passed away… Too young to remember or understand what had happened.

“No, Laura. He… Well, it’s a kinda long story, and I’ll try my best to make it quick. But it’ll be better if we take a sit, okay?” Laura nodded and Christopher gestured for them to go to the living room, towards the couch.

“When we were little, he was always… different. He didn’t like the same stuff most of the boys like. And it was okay with me, cuz not everybody likes the same things, right? He was a good brother… He helped me with my homework and with girls too... He would tell me what I should say to them, how should I act near them… Even though he never did those things… At least not with girls. I found out one day when I saw him kissing another boy. Then he talked to me and explained that some people like boys and others like girls, and asked me not to tell our parents…”

“And what did you do?” Laura was really glad that they were talking like this, like a normal family, with no yelling, no angry words. She was still afraid of where this story was heading to, but she felt safe here with her dad’s hand on hers. She’d missed this closeness a lot. She looked at him expectedly for the rest of this story.

Christopher, who was staring at the floor, lifted his eyes to met his daughter’s. He squeezed her hand and pulled her close for a side hug, and rested his arm on her shoulder.

“I said that I could do that… And that I loved him no matter what, because it didn’t change anything, this was a part of who he was. And he was always so good, so kind to everybody. How could I be mad at him for loving someone?  But a while later, when our parents found out… Well, they told him really bad things…. Horrible things… I should have said something, but I didn’t. I was so afraid because I never saw our parents like that. Our mom couldn’t stop crying, and our dad… he was out of his mind… so angry, so pissed...” He was trying not to cry, so he could end the story. But it was hard. He spent all those years keeping this to himself, all the guilt he felt for not helping his brother, for not doing more. “They… asked Ben to leave their house. And for years I met Ben without my parents knowing about it. He always tried to look okay, but I knew he wasn’t. Most of his friends turned their backs on him when they found out he was gay.” Both father and daughter had tears in their eyes. “Some years later, I was already married to your mom, and you were almost five years old. I decided to try to bring everyone back together. And I thought that Christmas was the best time for that… So I invited Ben over. But when he arrived, our parents, mostly our dad, didn’t take it well… There was a discussion. Your mom took you to the backyard while we talked inside. Things didn’t end well, our father asked Ben to leave, and I told him that my brother was going to stay because this was my house. Then mom and dad just left. Ben just stayed long enough to give you your gift.”

“Maddie.” Laura said quietly. And although it was barely a whisper, Christopher heard it.

“Yeah, Maddie the whale.” They chuckled. But soon the laughter died. “When he left and you went to sleep,  your mom said to me that she didn’t want Ben near you… She said she didn’t want a sick faggot near our daughter.”

“I… I always thought you two argued because of me. I-I mean because I wasn’t good enough. So I always did my best to be a good kid at home and at school, because that way both of you would stop fighting.”

“Oh, baby girl” He kissed the top of her head. “No, it wasn’t your fault in any away. I’m sorry if I made you feel like that. Your mom just… had a really disturbed vision of love. It was hard to ask for the divorce, I loved her so much. I avoided it for a while, but when Ben-” Chris broke down. It’s been years since he had said it out loud. He and his wife agreed in not telling Laura what really happened to her uncle. But she’s a grown-up woman now. Soon she’ll go to college. And he doesn’t want the same thing to happen to her.

“What happened, dad?” She was hardly holding things up for herself. This story… this was too much to take it in. How did her dad bottle all up for so long? _Maybe that’s why he started drinking._ Despite the fact that she didn’t think that to get drowned in alcohol is the solution for any kind of problem, she could understand her father.

“Some days had passed and Ben wasn’t answering my calls. So I went to his place and… I-I found him hanging by his neck. There was a letter near his body… with my name on it. He said he knew that I would find him. And that he was so sorry that he wouldn’t be around to see you grow up.” Laura held him tight. She didn’t know what to say or what to think. “Your mom said that it was the best thing he did with his life… That’s when I couldn’t help it any longer and I-I asked for the divorce.”

They remained in silence for some minutes. Just enjoying their embrace. Christopher wasn't finished, though. So after a while, he continued.

“I’m sorry. I was trying so hard not to feel guilty over what had happened to Ben. I didn’t want to be like my parents. However, I ended up pushing your mom away from you and ignoring you every single time I drank. I wasn’t a good father…” He let go from their hug and turned to fully face Laura. “But I promise you that I’ll change.” He took her hands and gave them a light squeeze. “I support you, all of you. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable or unsafe to tell me about your sexuality. I know that it can be a little weird to tell this kind of thing to your dad, but I’m here for you.”

“Dad… you don’t need to feel guilty about what happened to uncle Ben. I’m sure he wouldn’t blame you. About mom… she could have stayed around even after the divorce, but she chose not to. This isn’t your fault either.” She gave him a sympathetic smile and then looked down. “But yes… I was afraid of your reaction. You changed so much, became distant… Now I understand why, and I forgive you, dad. And what you did over there…” She nodded towards the kitchen. “It made me so proud of you. I was surprised, of course. But seeing you throw away all the alcohol we had at home, was one of the best gifts you could have given me.”

Christopher smiled fondly at Laura. “You’re the best daughter I could ever have. And I’ll do my best to be the father you deserve.” He kissed her forehead and hugged her one more time. “But you still haven’t told me… where did you sleep last night?”

Laura couldn’t help her smile. “I was at Ivy’s. I called her after I left here. By the way, she was the one who saved me after the game… And Elliot was the one trying to take advantage of me.”

“Wait a second… She was the one who punched him?”

“Yeah… She didn’t like the way he was treating me… But I told her that I don’t appreciate violence.”

“I already like her.” Laura gave him a disapproving look. “But you’re right, violence is not the answer.” He added quickly.

“Oh my God! I brought us some food on my way home. I totally forgot about it. I think I must have left the bag upstairs. I’ll be right back.”

Christopher got up from the couch and went to the kitchen to place the plates on the table. They ate in relative silence. He could see and feel how his daughter was lighter now, and it filled his heart with joy.

“So…”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll do the dishes.” Laura said as she put her plate on the sink.

“No, I… I wasn’t talking about that. I can do the dishes.” He got up to put his plate away too. “I don’t wanna push it, but… Is Ivy your girlfriend then?”

“Uh… Actually, she asked to be my girlfriend last night.” She passed her hand through her hair. “She left all those years ago… so we had a lot to talk about first.”

“I want to meet her.”

“Dad, you already know her.” She said laughing.

“Yeah, but I only know Ivy, my daughter’s friend. Now, I want to get to know Ivy, my daughter’s girlfriend.”

“Does that mean you’re going to give her some kind of talk?”

“Probably.” He said smiling. “But don’t you worry, though. I like her. She seems to be treating you right and making you happy if that smile on your face is any sign.”

 

* * *

 

 

When Ivy got home, she heard her phone ringing. She answered it quickly thinking it would be Laura, but it was Elise.

“Hi, Elise.” She said in a not so enthusiastic voice.

“Wow, I thought you would be happier for being the star of the game yesterday and all…”

“I’m happy. I just... I was expecting somebody else to call me.”

“Who?” The girl said cocking her eyebrow questioningly, even though Ivy couldn’t see her face.

“My girlfriend.” She said smiling, and although they were talking through the phone, she knew her best friend could feel it.

“NO WAY!” Elise’s eyes were wide. She was so surprised that she almost dropped her phone. “Oh, so that’s why you two kinda disappeared after the game?”

“Actually, no.”

“Wait a minute… I heard that Elliot got punched after the game yesterday. Was it you?” With this new information, things started to make more sense to Elise. “Okay, so don’t tell me right now. I’m going to your house and then you will tell me everything. See ya!”

Before Ivy could answer, her friend ended the call. She chuckled at Elise’s antics. Many things have changed through those years she stayed away, but Elise wasn’t one of them.

After a short amount of time, Elise was sitting on Ivy’s bed.

“Come on, spill it already!”

 

* * *

 

 

Laura went to her room with a big smile on her face. Of course, she was sad, and kind of angry, with what had happened to her uncle, but her dad was ok with her sexuality and he promised her he will quit drinking. They even have talked about going to AA groups. She picked up her phone and sent Ivy a message.

[Laura]: Hey Vy <3

[Laura]: You’re not going to believe what just happened. 

[Laura]: How do you feel about coming over later? xx

She put her phone down and went to check if all of her homework was done. It was a little difficult since she couldn’t stop thinking about everything that took place in the last 24 hours and how the conversation between her father and her girlfriend would be like. _Girlfriend._ Just the mere thought of calling Ivy her girlfriend made her smile grow even wider.

 

* * *

 

 

“I’m so happy for you, Vy.” Elise said hugging her friend.

Ivy’s smile never left her face. She couldn’t help it. It was like she was living a dream. She saw the screen of her phone lit up, and as soon as she read the messages, she frowned.

“What’s up?”

“Laura said that something happened, but I don’t know if it’s something good. She’s asking me to meet her later.”

[Ivy]: Hi baby <3

[Ivy]: What happened? Is everything ok? 

[Ivy]: I would love to. Just tell me when, and I’ll be there. xx

“Well, I guess that’s my lead to leave. I was going to ask if you two would like to go out with me and Charlie, but I see that you already have plans…” She smirked at the other girl.

Ivy just rolled her eyes. “Maybe another time. I’m going to talk to Laura, and then we can-”

“Uh, so whipped.” Elise interrupted her, laughing at the face Ivy made. But soon enough Ivy joined her.

“You’re impossible!” Ivy said shaking her head.

“And you love me.” She said giving Ivy a knowing look.

"Yeah... I do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://just-queer-me.tumblr.com/).


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeey guys!
> 
> I'm sorry that it took me so long to post another chapter. But life just got really crazy, and I didn't have the time to update this. 
> 
> There's just one more chapter to go and I hope y'all enjoy it. Maybe I'll make it a series... Give me your thoughts about it.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

** Chapter 10 **

 

When Laura was done with what was left of her homework, she picked up her phone and saw Ivy’s messages.

[Laura]: Yeah, everything’s fine… more than fine actually. Don’t worry ;)

[Laura]: How about 7 p.m.?

There was a light knock on her door and before she could put her phone down her father was entering the room.

“Hey, sweetie.” His eyes landed on her hand and he smiled fondly. “Talking to Ivy?” He nodded toward the cellphone.

“Mhmm. I asked her to be here at 7 o'clock. Is it okay?”

“Yes! Did you tell her to bring her parents?”

“Uh… no?” She said frowning.

“Well, so tell her! They are going to be family too.” He said as he stepped closer. “We could order some takeout… Chinese maybe?”

“Sure thing, dad!” She smiled and stood up to give her father a hug.

[Laura]: Heey, my dad said to invite your parents too

[Ivy]: Really?

[Laura]: Yep, he said you’re all family now

[Ivy]: WAIT…You told him?

[Laura]: Yeah… well, not exactly. But I’ll fill you in later

[Ivy]: Okay! We’ll be there at 7

[Ivy]: Should we bring something?

[Laura]: There’s no need, babe

 

* * *

 

 

“How do I look?”

“Darling, you look great. Like you did in those outfits you tried before.” Haylee said chuckling.

“Are you going to try all the clothes you have? Cause I don’t think we have time for this.”

“Dad! I’m being deadly serious. I have to be perfect to meet Laura’s father.”

“But you’ve met him already. More than once, actually.” Noah said.

“As Laura’s friend! Now I’m going to meet him as his daughter’s girlfriend.” She gave him an exasperated look. “And I’m freaking out."

“Calm down. Everything will be okay, Ivy. He wouldn’t have invited us if he didn’t approve you two being together." Her mom pondered.

“Your mom is right. Let’s go. You don’t want to be late to meet your girlfriend’s father, do you? What he will think of you?” He teased.

Ivy rolled her eyes while her mother shoved her husband on the shoulder.

“Don’t make her more nervous, you doofus.”

“Sorry, honey.” He shot his wife a regretful smile and then turned to Ivy. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. I’m nervous too. Almost like the same way I was when I met your mom’s parents. Just breathe. We got your back.” Noah brought his daughter in for a hug and kissed her forehead.

 

* * *

 

 

“Laura, are you ready? It’s almost 7.”

“Yeah, dad.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know… Just a bit nervous, I guess.”

“Don’t worry kid, it will be alright.”

The doorbell rang, making Laura jump a little.

“I’ll open it.” Laura said, already heading to the door.

“Hi! Come on in.” She stepped aside to let her guests enter the house.

Ivy kissed her on the cheek and then went to greet Christopher.

“Hi, Mr. Wright.” She stretched out her hand for him to shake it. “It’s really nice to see you again, sir.”

He eyed her with an unreadable expression for a couple of seconds, that for Ivy and Laura felt like an eternity, before taking the girl’s hand and pulling her in for a tight hug.

“There’s no need for formalities.” He looked from Ivy to her parents. “Y’all can call me Christopher, or just Chris.” He released her from his grip. “It’s nice to meet all of you.” He shook Haylee and Noah’s hands. “The food will arrive soon. Make yourselves comfortable.”

“Do you want anything to drink?” Laura said as everybody took their sits in the living room.

“I would like a glass of water, please.” Haylee asked.

“For me too, please.” Noah said with a kind smile on his lips.

“Dad, do you want something?”

“No, darling. Thank you.”

“I’ll help you.” Ivy following her girlfriend to the kitchen.

“Hey, babe.” Laura said hugging her.

“Hey, you.” She gave Laura a soft kiss on her lips. “So, you’ll fill me in already or I’ll have to wait some more?”

Laura sighed. “I’ll give you the short version for now, and later you can make all the questions you want. Okay?”

“Okay.” She kissed her girlfriend again.

“Elliot followed me here and told my father about us. I thought he would be mad, but everything ended okay. We talked a lot and he said that he’ll quit drinking.”

Ivy’s eyes were wide, she was undoubtedly surprised. Actually, she was feeling a lot of things: angry because of Elliot, curious about the talk Laura had with her dad, happy because everything turned out okay in the end and really thrilled about Christopher’s decision.

They went back to the living room with the glasses of water and sat next to each other to enjoy the conversation that was taking place between their parents. The food arrived not long after that.

The dinner went smoothly. Laura and Ivy offered themselves to do the dishes so they could have some time alone.

“Can I ask you some questions now?”

“Sure, Vy. But keep washing the dishes. If you want answers, you need to earn them.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, babe.” She kissed her girlfriend’s cheek.

 

* * *

 

 

When Ivy arrived home, she couldn’t get rid of the smile that was plastered on her face.

“How are you feeling, sweetie?” Noah asked as he closed the front door.

“Amazing. Like I’m living in  a dream.”

“That good, huh?” He said laughing.

“We’re really happy for you, Ivy.” Haylee said leaning on her husband.

“You guys are the best parents ever. I love you two.” She said hugging them.

Ivy was in her room, laid down on the bed when her phone started buzzing. She picked it up and saw that Elise was sending her a ton of messages.

[Elise]: Heeey

[Elise]: Vy, r u home yet?

[Elise]: ???

[Elise]: R u gonna tell me what Laura wanted or do I have to beg for it?

[Elise]: Can u answer me? Like, ASAP

[Ivy]: Hey, I just got home

[Elise]: What r u waiting for? Tell me everything already

[Ivy]: Breathe, Elle. She just wanted to invite me and my parents over to have dinner with her and her dad.

[Elise]: WOW! U lesbians r really fast

[Ivy]: U say it like you’re not one… anyway, everything went great, perfect actually. But I’ll tell u more about it tomorrow

[Elise]: U r mean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://just-queer-me.tumblr.com/).


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